Well, it’s not quite “in full,” but with more than an hour’s worth of jamming unfolding across three tracks, it’s close enough, anyway. The fourth cut on what will become Deaf Proof‘s Blood Red Sky Sessions release — due out April 23 digitally with a limited-to-50 tape to follow this summer — is an 8-bit version of “Death Sounds Angry and Hungry for More” from last year’s righteously fuzzed Death Sounds Angry EP (review here), held out of the stream at the request of the band. What’s left? Three extended, jam-based pieces that run a course somewhere between heavy psychedelic improvisation and more structured songwriting. And as you listen, I think you’ll agree that’s plenty.

Comprised of “Dust and Bones Among Us” (11:22), “Ocean of Sand” (16:54) and “Far Beyond the Blood Red Sky” (34:26), Blood Red Sky Sessions is not Deaf Proof‘s first experimental release. The Freiburg, Germany, trio of guitarist/vocalist J. Fredo, bassist JP and drummer Pedro gained notice with 2013’s Beyond the Orange Door Demos (they had a different lineup at the time), but no question these three spacious tracks showcase a marked development in the band’s penchant for exploratory heavy psych. They were — still are, instrumentally — put together as jams. You can hear it in “Dust and Bones Among Us” and certainly throughout the sprawl of “Far Beyond the Blood Red Sky,” which retains long stretches of guitar-driven vibing, drawing down to bluesy minimalism only to raise the volume again, back and forth, but Deaf Proof wanted more than just a collection of jams, so vocals were added, and the difference is palpable.

Even in its far reaches, “Far Beyond the Blood Red Sky” retains a human presence, and the rolling groove of “Ocean of Sand” seems to come with an inherent structure, dooming out in a slowdown in its midsection for a bit, but winding up sweetly melodic by the finish. “Dust and Bones Among Us,” which feels short at 11 minutes by the time one gets around to a second listen, likewise places J. Fredo‘s vocals well, so that the lines he’s delivering are as much a part of the apex of the track as Pedro‘s crashing drums or JP‘s basslines, or, for that matter, his own wah-drenched lead. It’s called songwriting and people do it every day, but the way in which Deaf Proof have gone about it, listening back to these jams and realizing they had the potential to push further, stands these tracks out from the verse/chorus norm. The results of their efforts speak for themselves.

If you did or didn’t hear Death Sounds Angry, Blood Red Sky Sessions makes a better follow-up than the band gives it credit for. They’ve threatened a vinyl release, and doubtless that would require some editing of “Far Beyond the Blood Red Sky” — maybe they could call it “Not Quite as Far…” or something along those lines — but the fact is that if these songs showed up and Deaf Proof said, “This is our new album,” I’d have believed it, and if anything, these songs make me look forward that much more to what they might actually have planned for that next release.

Please find Blood Red Sky Sessions on the player below, followed by preorder info and more background, and enjoy:

Planned as pure jam recording, we decided to put a little more work in this baby, That’s why we decided to call it “sessions” and added some vocals. So it’s not a pure experiment and not a regular release. It’s something in between, but it works. It’ll be released digitally on April 23 and on tape later this year. Preorders/ Reservations can be placed by email (stuff@deafproof.de), the price will be 5€ plus shipping. Maybe there’ll be a vinyl release, we’ll see.

DEAF PROOF’s sound can probably best be described as psychedelic stoner rock that creates a very specific and unique atmosphere. The band, which is from Freiburg/Germany, has made a handful of changes concerning their line-up ever since they were founded in 2006. They now consist of J. Fredo (lead vocals/guitar), JP (bass) and Pedro (drums). Since 2013, the band has released multiple highly acclaimed demos, of which “Beyond the Orange Door Demos” (2013) received special attention.

It soon became obvious that DEAF PROOF were aiming much higher than swirling up desert sand and coming up with catchy riffs for their songs. “Death Sounds Angry” (2014 on cd, 2015 on vinyl via KrautedMindRecords) made clear that the band has now reached new heights: DEAF PROOF’S work is characterized by a very mature and multifaceted sound, driven by an unrelenting passion to create both extensive post-rock passages and epic psychedelic soundscapes. Often enough, the band rejects vocals altogether in order for the instrumental passages to gain new momentum. By reaching beyond their comfort zone and rejecting all standards, DEAF PROOF succeed in developing an idiosyncratic style. The trio composes highly dynamic and complex sound beasts that go well beyond the length of ten minutes, seamlessly transitioning from one epic passage to the next.